The Magician's Grave
by SassyNinja130
Summary: The ninja's friends are kidnapped by a mysterious criminal known as The Magician. Then, the very next day, General Cryptor, The Overlord, General Kozu, Chen, and Morro come back from the dead. Is there a connection? And, can the ninja find and save their friends? Or, will the resurrected villains take over the city?(An Alternate version of Day of the Departed. Rated T for violence)
1. Chapter 1: Riana Christine

**A/n: Hello, everyone! This is my new story; The Magician's Grave. It's kind an alternate version of Day of the Departed. However, Hurumi is in this one, and she's good. Also, Cole is still a ghost, Hutchins and the royal family are alive, and PIXAL is Samurai X. If you've read my other story; Our Little Past, Code will not be in this one. Also, Cryptor and PIXAL are still practically siblings, but Cryptor is evil. Here we go.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Ninjago.**

Day of the Departed was coming up, and Lloyd had been invited to a dinner party at his girlfriend, Hurumi's palace. He had no idea what to wear, and the dinner would be that night. He was running through the Bounty, trying things on, looking in the mirror, and then throwing them on the floor to try something else.

"I have nothing to where!" Lloyd screamed when he got on the deck, where everyone else was waiting.

"Funny; most of the time, I'm the one saying that." Nya said.

"Right?" Skylar laughed.

"Perhaps, if you are having trouble, we could assist you?" PIXAL suggested.

Skylar and PIXAL were staying on the Bounty with them for the holidays and, like Nya, Lloyd thought of them as sisters. Not only did they boss him around, but they looked out for him, too.

"Really?" Lloyd asked, "You'd do that?"

"Of course." Nya told him. The girls took him downstairs, and after fifteen minutes, they'd found him the perfect outfit. Lloyd was wearing a black tuxedo with a green tie and a clover flower in his pocket.

He looked ready to dine with royalty.

"Thank you." Lloyd smiled.

"Of course." PIXAL said, "We are happy to help."

"Wow, you did a great job, you even managed to fix his hair." Kai said when he saw Lloyd.

"Thanks." Nya replied.

Lloyd could not have been more nervous when he approached the palace. What if he made a fool of himself in front of Rumi and her family? What if her parents didn't approve of him?

Lloyd shook those thoughts off. He shouldn't worry, it would be great. Just like Hurumi had said. He took a deep breath as the guards opened the doors to the dining room.

"Introducing Lloyd Garmadon, the green ninja!" One guard said. Hurumi and her parents were already seated at the giant dinner table when Lloyd came over. He bowed to each of them.

"Your Majesty." He said.

"It's wonderful to see you again." The Empress told him.

"Hi, Lloyd." Rumi smiled as Lloyd sat down next to her.

"Hey." Lloyd said, kissing her on the cheek.

They talked for a few minutes, before Lloyd finally noticed that a TV was playing the local news at the head of the table.

"…Sadly, Cyrus Borg has not been heard from in the last week. The Commissioner was in charge of investigation, but has now also disappeared. Police suspect it was a kidnapping. And, in other news, The Magician has struck again, killing yet another young girl. Riana Christine, a sixteen year old girl in Ninjago City, was taken earlier today. A few hours ago, her body was found on a boulder in the woods just a few miles from her house, with a single stab wound." Gale Gossip said.

"The Magician? Who's that?" Lloyd asked.

"Oh, he's a new criminal in the city. He kidnaps people for an unknown reasons, but always kills them less than ten hours later, and leaves their body on a large rock near their home." Rumi explained, "But, I suspect he's the one that took Cyrus Borg and the Commissioner. He might've even taken Ronin and Dareth last month. But they haven't been found dead on any rocks yet."

"So, shouldn't he be called The Boulder or something?" Lloyd asked.

"No. They call him The Magician because he's been seen on several security feeds, grabbing poor girls and somehow putting them in a trance-like state so they won't fight him. You can tell it's a trance because their eyes turn blood red. Then, he just makes them both disappear. Himself and the girl." The Empress said, "He reappears later near a large rock, and leaves her body there."

"That's horrible!" Lloyd exclaimed, "How long has it been going on?"

"About two months now." The Emperor explained.

"I promise you, my ninja and I will find this Magician and put him behind bars, magic or not." Lloyd said.

"Thank you." Rumi sighed, and Lloyd could tell this was really worrying her. Suddenly, a picture of Riana Christine appeared on the TV, and Lloyd was horrified.

She looked exactly like Hurumi. She had the same white-blonde hair, dark eyes, and sparkling smile. Her name even sounded similar. Rumi and Riana. Was The Magician trying to find his girlfriend? Not wanting to worry Rumi or her parents if it was nothing, Lloyd didn't bring it up. They ate the rest of their dinner in silence, listening to Gale Gossip explain the rest of the news.

When they were done, Hurumi walked Lloyd to the door. However, just before getting in his car, he stopped, remembering Riana Christine's picture.

"Um, Rumi?" Lloyd asked.

"Yes, Lloyd?" Rumi said sweetly.

"Can you do something for me?" He inquired.

"That depends; what do I need to do?" Rumi asked.

"Can you get some extra security on the castle? Just until The Magician is captured." Lloyd said.

"Sure." Rumi replied, "But why? He hasn't ever come in this area."

"I know." Lloyd said, "But, it's just…Never mind."

"What?" Rumi asked.

"That girl; Riana Christine." Lloyd said, "She looked just like you."

"So?" Rumi asked.

"What if The Magician targets you next?" Lloyd asked.

"Why would he do that?" Rumi inquired.

"Well, as a ninja, I make a lot of enemies. This Magician could be going after you, in order to hurt me." Lloyd explained, and Rumi was touched that he cared.

"Alright." She said, "I'm sure it's fine, but I'll do it to make you feel better."

"Great." Lloyd smiled and got in his car.

As he drove off, Rumi noticed an odd chill to the air. A ghostly chill. Like the one she felt when she was around Cole. She shook it off, thinking it must have been nothing. She went back into the palace, and checked her watch. It wasn't time for her to give food to the poor yet, and truthfully, Lloyd had scared her a little with the talk about Riana Christine.

Maybe if Hurumi did a little more research on the Magician and his victims, she would see that it was just a coincidence. She went to her room, and spent almost two hours on her computer, trying to find any information about him that she could.

When Rumi got done, she was even more terrified than when she'd began. Every single one of the Magician's victims looked like her. The ones that were dead, at least. How had she not noticed before, every time she saw them on the news? There was no evidence that he tortured them, but he still didn't let them live for more than ten hours. What if Lloyd was right? What if she WAS next? She couldn't go out tonight. It wouldn't be safe.

No. Those people were counting on her. She had to. After all, she had no way of knowing whether she was being targeted or not. Rumi gathered her food in a bag, and threw on her green hood. Just in case, she wouldn't stay out for more than an hour.

Hurumi left the palace, and went to the closest neighborhood. She spent a half hour handing out food, before she finally started to feel safer and took off her hood. She knew the citizens wouldn't tell anyone about her, because they so heavily relied on her visits.

Hurumi now had fifteen minutes left, and wanted to make the most of it. She decided to feed the elderly, as well as the children. However, just like the kids, they were grateful for what they were given. Just before her hour was up, Rumi saw an old man sitting in a rocking chair.

He was wearing a black hood, and Rumi couldn't see his face. Nonetheless, he looked hungry. She walked over, and handed him a banana.

"From me to you." Rumi said.

"Thank you, Princess." The man said in a raspy voice. Rumi nodded, and turned to walk away. However, the man spoke again. "Might I request one more thing?" He asked.

"What is it?" Rumi asked, putting a comforting hand on his.

"You!" The man said, grabbing her wrist and throwing off his hood. Rumi instantly recognized who he was.

"W-What?!" she stuttered, "You're The Magician?!"

"Indeed." The man said, pulling a vial out of his pocket. The vial contained a red liquid, and Rumi knew what it was.

"No! Please!" She shouted, but it was too late. The man had already opened the vial, and the liquid was floating up into the air, wafting into her nostrils. Rumi could feel the will to fight leaving her body. She no longer wanted to resist him; She was too tired. She wanted to give up, and go to sleep.

The Magician watched her eyes turn the familiar shade of red before taking out a leaf of Traveler's Tea he'd stolen from Mistake.

"Oh, the others will be very happy to see you, my dear." He laughed, "You will make a wonderful addition to our graveyard."

With that, he dropped the leaf on the ground and took Hurumi through the portal.

 **A/n: How was it? Who is The Magician, and what does he want with Hurumi? We'll find out soon!**


	2. Chapter 2: A Search Party Gone Wrong

**A/n: Okay, here's the next chapter! Updates on this story will be every Monday and Thursday. Now, let's continue.**

As soon as Lloyd got the call, he was at the palace. Nya had offered to go with him, but he refused. He wanted to go alone, and see for himself what had happened. The police told him what they knew, let him watch the security footage, and even let him see the evidence; Hurumi's green hoodie and Leaf of Traveler's Tea.

The word "Beauty" was written and crossed out on the leaf. There were four other words written down that weren't crossed out, but they were so messy, Lloyd couldn't read them. Instead, he just put the leaf in his pocket.

It couldn't be. Rumi couldn't be gone. He had failed her. He should have been there to protect her, to stop this from happening. But he hadn't. Now, both he and Rumi were going to pay the price.

"Are you alright?" A familiar voice asked behind him. Lloyd turned to see Nya walking towards him.

"No." He said, wiping away his tears.

"I know you said you wanted to be alone, but we wanted to help you." Nya said.

"We?" Lloyd asked. As soon as he did, however, PIXAL and Skylar appeared next to Nya, worried expressions on their faces.

"The three of us." Nya stated.

"Oh. Don't bother." Lloyd said, surprising them, "The police confirmed she was taken five hours ago, around 9:00 PM. She'll be lying dead on a boulder in five hours."

"Then we have five hours to find her first." PIXAL said.

"But, it's 2:00 AM. How will we find her?" Lloyd asked.

"We'll have to search for the rest of the night but, if we find Rumi, it will all be worth it." Skylar said, helping him stand up.

"Okay." He grumbled, "But, just in case, we'll split up into pairs. PIXAL, Skylar, you'll be partners. Nya and I will stick together. Look after each other."

The girls nodded, and Skylar and PIXAL got in her VXL while Lloyd and Nya got in his car.

"You take the North and East sides of the city, and we'll take the South and West sides. If we don't find Rumi in four hours, meet back here and we'll come up with a new plan." Lloyd instructed.

"Okay." Skylar said as she and PIXAL drove away.

"This is awesome." Nya said, "I haven't gotten to do a nighttime search party in forever."

"This is not awesome! Rumi is missing, it's 2:00 AM, and the guys kill me if you aren't back soon." Lloyd said. "Wait." He said, suddenly realizing something, "Do the guys know you're helping me?"

"Nope." Skylar said over the communicator.

"What?!" Lloyd exclaimed, causing Nya to jump, "You didn't tell them you were joining me on a dangerous and possibly deadly search mission at 2:00 AM?!"

"Actually, Lloyd, it is 2:07 AM now." PIXAL corrected.

"Whatever." Lloyd said, "The point is, the guys are going to muder me."

"Even Zane?" Nya asked.

"ESPEACIALLY ZANE!" Lloyd shouted, "Do you know how mad he was at me the first time I so much as _smiled_ at PIXAL?!"

"Oh." Nya said, "Sorry."

"We didn't want to wake them." Skylar explained, "PIXAL doesn't sleep, so she overheard your phone call."

"Actually, I intercepted it." PIXAL corrected.

"Whatever." Skylar said, "Nya and I happened to be awake, getting some water, so we all decided to go."

"Perfect." Lloyd groaned, "Nobody get hurt tonight, or the others will have my head."

"Noted." Skylar said. Lloyd and Nya continued the rest of the drive in silence, scanning the streets for any sign of Rumi. They didn't find anything. Eventually, Lloyd got tired, having been up most of the night, and Nya took the wheel.

She was ready to call it quits when, suddenly, she saw a glowing red light in a nearby alley, and turned to Lloyd. He was fast asleep. Nya was sure it was nothing, and it would only take a second, so she got out of the car by herself. She went into the alley, and walked towards the light.

Now, Nya saw that it was a glowing red liquid in a vial. She reached out, curious as to what it was. Suddenly, a familiar voice startled her.

"I wouldn't touch that if I were you." It said. Nya whipped around, seeing exactly who she'd expected.

"What? Since when did _you_ become a kidnapper/murderer?" She asked.

"Not long ago." The Magician said, "Maybe you saw me on the news?"

"I did." Nya said, "And you kidnapped my friend!"

"Ah, yes. The princess. My boss was quite happy to have her and her beauty added to his graveyard." The Magician said.

"Your boss?" Nya asked, "And who would that be?"

"Oh, you'll find out soon enough, Nya." The Magician smirked, "He would like to have your strength at his disposal."

"Well, then he'll be disappointed. Because I'm not going to come quietly." Nya said, pulling out her weapons.

"Oh, I think you are." The Magician said, picking up the vial.

Nya ran towards him, her weapons raised, but she wasn't fast enough. He opened the vial, and the red liquid floated into her nose. She inhaled it, and instantly felt tired. She no longer wanted to fight.

No! She had to, for Rumi, for Lloyd. She had to be strong, and she had to resist the feeling. But she didn't want to fight. Yes, she did. She had to. No, that would be too much work. Nya finally gave up, and let The Magician grab her.

"I must say, you put up a good fight. That must be why my master wants you." The Magician said. He took out a leaf of Traveler's Tea, and dropped it on the ground, creating a portal.

Just before he took her through, Nya let out a scream. It was her last, final attempt to fight back. She knew she'd been drugged, and she knew her eyes were now red. The Magician dragged her in, leaving her weapons behind.

However, that scream had been enough to wake Lloyd. He knew Nya was in trouble. But why had she gone without him? He knew he'd been sleeping. He didn't know for how long, but maybe it had been long enough for Nya to find Hurumi.

"Nya?!" Lloyd yelled, getting out of the car. It was parked in front of an alley, the lights shining through the dark area. Suddenly, he saw Nya's weapons on the ground, and he knew exactly what had happened.

He took out his communicator, calling PIXAL.

"PIXAL!" he shouted when she answered.

"Yes?" She asked, sounding exhausted.

"It's Nya!" Lloyd exclaimed.

"What about her?" Skylar asked.

"She's…She's…" Lloyd stammered.

"What happened, Lloyd?" PIXAL asked.

"Nya's been taken by The Magician!" Lloyd yelled.

"Oh, no." Skylar said.

"When?" PIXAL asked.

"I don't know, I was asleep." Lloyd said, "But I do know one thing; Jay and Kai are going to kill me for this."

 **A/n: Chapter 3 coming Monday. See you soon!**


	3. Chapter 3: Find the Pattern

**A/n: Hello and thank you so much if you left a review! Here is chapter 3! First Cyrus Borg, the Commissioner, Rumi, Nya, who's next? And who is The Magician? Let's find out.**

"YOU DID WHAT?!" Kai screamed after Lloyd told him how Nya had been taken.

"We were searching for Rumi, and I fell asleep." Lloyd said.

"And why would you possibly think it was a good idea to take the girls with you?" Jay asked, "They can't fight!" Suddenly realizing what he'd said, Jay turned to Skylar and PIXAL, who did not look amused. "No offense." He said.

"Yeah, because that's not offensive at all." Skylar said sarcastically, crossing her arms over her chest, "You do know that Nya was a ninja, too, right?"

"Whatever." Jay said.

"Why didn't you tell us?" Zane asked, hugging PIXAL for the thousandth time that day.

"You were all asleep. We did not want to wake you." PIXAL said.

"Well, wake us up next time." Kai said.

"Fine." Skylar grumbled.

"Would you like to visit the crime scene with us?" PIXAL asked.

"Yes, we'll all go." Kai said.

"Actually, I think I'll stay back." Skylar said, "It was freezing outside, and I think I'm coming down with something."

"Then I'll stay here with you." Kai said.

"No, that's okay." Skylar told him, "I'll be fine. Go see you sister's crime scene."

"I'll stay." Cole said, "I have some baking to do for tomorrow's competition anyway. Surprisingly, they let ghosts enter."

"Ok. Then we'll all go to the crime scene." Lloyd said, and he, Jay, and Kai squished into his car. Meanwhile, Zane and PIXAL took the VXL.

Everyone was on edge when they reached the crime scene, wondering exactly what had happened to Nya.

"Why was she in an alley?" Kai asked.

"I don't know." Lloyd said, "She must have seen something important."

They looked around. There wasn't much, except for Nya's weapons. Suddenly, PIXAL picked up a leaf of Traveler's Tea. The words "Strength" and "Beauty" were written and crossed out on the leaf. There were three other words, but they were too messy to read.

"Traveler's Tea." Kai said, "She could be anywhere!"

At this, Lloyd could see something snap inside Jay.

"This is all your fault! If you hadn't fallen asleep, Nya might still be here! Now, we don't know what happened to her, or what they'll do to her, or even where she is!" He yelled, and punched Lloyd.

"Hey!" Lloyd spat back, "You don't think I know that? But Rumi was taken twelve hours ago, and she hasn't turned up dead. She and Nya could still be alive!"

"We have hope." PIXAL stated, "That is all we can ask for at the moment."

"Oh, really? And when did you become the next Sensei Wu?" Kai asked.

"Yeah, just stay out of it, PIXAL." Jay said.

"Hey!" Lloyd exclaimed, "She's just trying to help! Be nice."

"Oh, yeah? And what are you, her body guard? Cheating on Rumi already?" Kai asked.

"Cheating?! What are you talking about?" Lloyd asked.

"Like you don't know. You're nothing but a-" Jay started.

"Courage!" Zane suddenly interrupted.

"What?" Lloyd said, turning to him.

"The third word on this leaf is Courage." He said, holding it up, "But I can't read any of the others."

"We must find a pattern." PIXAL said, "Then, we can predict who will be taken next."

"Well, so far, a lot of people have been taken." Jay said.

"The ones that aren't dead yet are the ones that know us." Kai added.

"There was a leaf like that at Rumi's crime scene, too." Lloyd said, pulling it out.

"Beauty, Strength, and now Courage." Zane said, "What do you think it means?"

"Maybe it symbolizes those who are close to you?" PIAXL suggested, "Hurumi represents Beauty, and Nya represents Strength."

"Yes!" Lloyd said, "So Courage is next."

"Who do we know that's courageous?" Jay asked, thinking.

They stayed silent for a few minutes, before Kai figured it out.

"Skylar." He said, "Skylar is next."

"We have to get back to the Bounty and save her!" Lloyd exclaimed.

Meanwhile, at the Bounty, Skylar was lying in bed on the lower level. Cole was baking in the kitchen above, and blasting the music in his headphones. Suddenly, Skylar's bedroom door opened. She looked over at it, but there was no one there.

She decided to ignore it.

Suddenly, there a loud sound, like someone was stomping down the hallway. This was a little more concerning, as Cole didn't make nearly that much noise.

"Kai? Lloyd? Are you back?" Skylar called out.

There was no answer.

"If this is a prank, I'm not in the mood!" Skylar called again. The stomping continued. It sounded like it was getting closer. Suddenly, it stopped.

"Hello, Skylar." A voice said.

"Hello?" Skylar called, "Who's there?"

"I think you know." The voice laughed.

"If you're The Magician, I'm not afraid of you." Skylar said.

"Oh, I'm sure you aren't." The voice said.

"Show yourself!" Skylar shouted, now frustrated.

"Alright." The voice said. Out of nowhere, a man in a black cloak appeared in front of her. As soon as Skylar saw his face, she knew who he was.

"What? What are _you_ doing kidnapping innocent people? That's never been your way." Skylar said.

"Ask me if I care." The Magician said, "I just do what my boss says. And right now, he's told me to get you, and your Courage."

"My…Courage?" Skylar asked.

"Indeed." The Magician said, "I took your friends for their Beauty and Strength, and now I need you for your Courage."

He pulled out a vial of red liquid, and opened the lid. As soon as Skylar smelled it, she didn't want to fight. She'd heard of this before, but she was now too weak to fight it.

The Magician grabbed her, and opened a portal.

"My, my." He said, "You are a brave girl." Then he took her through the portal.

Moments later, the ninja burst into the room. But Skylar was already gone. Kai sank to the floor, burning tears in his eyes. He let them fall.

There was a leaf of Traveler's Tea on the floor, and Lloyd picked it up. The words "Beauty," "Strength," and "Courage" had been crossed out. Another word had been written down.

"Intelligence." He knew who would be next.

 **A/n: Okay, so we don't know who The Magician is yet. But, Skylar's been taken. And now you know who will be next. See you Thursday!**


	4. Chapter 4: Magician Bait

**A/n: Hello, everyone! Ready for the next chapter? I loved reading all of your reviews! They made me so happy! The title of this chapter probably gave away the entire plot, but whatever! Ready to find out whom The Magician is?**

"'Intelligence.'" Lloyd read. Everyone instantly turned to PIXAL.

"You're next." Jay told her. At this, Zane wrapped an arm around her.

"No, really, Jay?" Lloyd said sarcastically, "I thought it meant _you_ were next."

"Hey!" Jay exclaimed.

"I'm sorry for what I said earlier." Kai said.

"Yeah, me, too." Jay agreed.

"I won't let them take you." Zane said to PIXAL, ignoring them. PIXAL, however, seemed uninterested. She was thinking of a plan, and Zane knew he wasn't going to like it.

"I have an idea." PIXAL told them.

"I guess that's why you represent Intelligence." Jay said, trying to make a joke. But no one was laughing.

"Because I am next, what if we used me to help catch The Magician?" PIXAL suggested.

"What do you mean?" Lloyd asked.

"I could act as bait, draw him over, and then you could catch him and gather Intel on where Nya, Skylar, and Rumi are." PIXAL told him.

"No." Zane said, "I am NOT letting you do that."

"Hmm, it could work." Kai said.

"So, what?" Zane asked.

"It's a good plan." Jay said, ignoring him.

"But we're not doing it." Zane said.

"It's the only plan we've got." Lloyd stated.

"I don't care. We'll find another way. One that doesn't involve putting PIXAL in danger." Zane said.

"Zane, it will be fine." PIXAL reassured him, "I trust that you will protect me."

The tension built as Zane went silent, considering what she had said. For a second, Lloyd thought he might agree, but then Zane spoke again.

"No." He said.

"Oh, come on, Zane!" Kai said, "I know you don't like it, but it's the only plan we've got right now!"

"It's the only way for us to find Rumi, Nya, and Skylar." Lloyd said.

"Fine." Zane grumbled, and turned to PIXAL, "But, I am going to be right beside you the entire time."

"Alright." Lloyd said, "I think we can work that out."

That night, they were preparing to put the plan into action. All PIXAL had to do was act like she was alone in the Samurai X Cave, and repair her vehicles. If something went wrong, she would signal for backup, and the elemental masters would come running. Meanwhile, Jay and Kai would watch outside the cave, Zane would be right by the entrance, and Lloyd would hide under a table and catch The Magician when he came. Zane, however, still wasn't thrilled with his job.

"This is not right beside PIXAL." He grumbled into his communicator, "You said you could work it out, Lloyd!"

"I know, I know. I lied." Lloyd said, "Sorry, but I don't want to risk anymore lives."

"You're risking HER life." Zane growled.

"She volunteered!" Lloyd exclaimed.

"But you're the one that let her do it!" Zane said.

"Um, I can hear you, you know." PIXAL said.

"Sorry." Lloyd whispered.

"I think he's here." Jay said, "But he doesn't have his invisibility on. He's just wearing a black cloak."

"Good." Kai whispered. The Magician somehow knew exactly how to get into the Samurai Cave, and walked right in like he owned the place.

PIXAL made sure to face away from him while working on her vehicles, and act surprised when he spoke to her.

"Hello, PIXAL." The Magician said. She turned, and saw him. "Oh, come out, Lloyd, Zane. I know you're here." The Magician said.

Lloyd stood up, and Zane stepped out of the shadows.

"There." The Magician said, "Now, are you going to give me my symbol of Intelligence, or will I have to take her?"

"She's not yours to take." Zane snapped.

"I am standing right here." PIXAL said, "I can hear everything you are saying."

"You know, Zane, I never did approve of your relationship with her." The Magician said.

"And who are you to judge?" Zane asked.

"A former friend." The Magician answered, "And PIXAL does not belong to you. She belongs to my boss."

"Again, I am right here." PIXAL said, annoyed.

"So, what'll it be, Zane? The easy way, or the hard one?" The Magician asked.

Zane pulled out his bow and arrow, and Lloyd drew his sword. PIXAL also took out her Katana, to which, The Magician laughed.

"You have GOT to be joking." He said.

"What?" PIXAL asked, "I can fight, too."

Suddenly, Zane ran toward The Magician, but he just took out his vial, and opened it. Zane smelled it, and collapsed to the floor.

"Zane!" PIXAL shouted.

Lloyd attempted to fight next, meeting the same results. The Magician slammed the doors to the X Cave shut, so Jay and Kai couldn't get in, and walked toward PIXAL.

"Just you and me now." The Magician said, "I'm guessing you're going to try and fight?"

"No." PIXAL said, opening a drawer behind her, taking out a microchip, and putting it in her pocket, "Fighting would be pointless."

"And that's why you're the intelligent one." The Magician said.

He opened his vial, and PIXAL let the liquid sink in. She didn't fight it, saving her strength for when she'd need it later.

"Who knew you'd become the new Samurai X?" The Magician asked.

PIXAL could feel her eyes turning blood red, but she didn't care.

"I can see why my boss wants you." The Magician smirked.

"Who _is_ your master?" PIXAL asked, now interested.

"My _masters_ are dead." The Magician answered.

"That did not answer my question." PIXAL told him.

She was getting more and more tired by the minute. She knew that, soon, she would black out.

"No," The Magician said, "But, you'll see them soon enough."

"What do you want with my friends and I?" PIXAL managed to ask.

"I don't know. Whatever my masters decide." The Magician said, pulling off his hood to reveal his familiar face.

"Cole?!" PIXAL said, "Why are you doing this?!"

"Hey, I'm just doing what I was told." Cole answered, "And they told me to take you to their graveyard."

"Since when do you take orders from dead people?" PIXAL told him.

"Since Cryptor wants to see his little sister again _._ " Cole said.

"Technically, I'm older." PIXAL said matter-of-factly.

"Whatever." Cole replied.

With that, he grabbed PIXAL, pulled out a leaf, and took her through the portal with him. PIXAL didn't try to fight, or even escape. It was over. She had failed.

 **A/n: So, did you expect Cole to be the Magician? Next chapter coming Monday. Bye!**


	5. Chapter 5: Join Our Graveyard

**A/n: Here is chapter five. Where did Cole take PIXAL and the others?**

When Kai finally pried the doors to the X Cave open, he knew everything had gone horribly wrong. PIXAL was gone, most likely taken, Zane was unconscious on the floor, and Lloyd was just sitting up, like he'd recently awoken.

"What happened?" Jay asked, helping the green ninja to his feet.

"The Magician. Somehow, he knew we were using PIXAL. He knocked us out and took her." Lloyd replied.

Kai looked over at Zane, who was lying a few feet away.

"You know, Zane's going to kill you when he wakes up." Kai said, "And I still haven't forgiven you for the fact that Skylar and Nya were taken."

"I know." Lloyd said, "I really messed up this time."

"Who's next?" Jay asked. Lloyd picked it up, and read the next word.

"'Responsibility.'" He said, "Now, who could that be?"

"Your mother." Kai said, "I got a call from Cole saying she's been taken."

"So, that's it, then." Lloyd said, "The Magician's got everyone he wanted, and we still don't know who he is."

"Looks like it." Jay stated.

"Don't worry." Kai said, "We'll get them back. And they're tough, they'll be okay."

"I hope so." Lloyd told him, "But first, we need to get Zane back online."

:::::::

Hurumi woke to a cold feeling all around her. She didn't know where she was. The last thing she remembered was being taken through a portal by the Magician. Then, nothing. How long ago had that been? Hours, days, weeks?

Suddenly, she heard voices. Rumi didn't dare to open her eyes, but listened, instead. She could make out three distinct voices, somewhere nearby.

"So, you finally got the old woman?" A man's voice said.

"I did. We now have Beauty, Strength, Courage, Intelligence, and Responsibility." A younger man said, "Plus, all of their other allies."

"So, when can we begin the extraction?" A man with a very raspy voice said.

"As soon as we get Misako in her tank." The first man said. _Tank?_ Hurumi thought, _Am I in a tank, too?_ She opened her eyes and, sure enough, she was surrounded by glass. It didn't look easily breakable, though.

She stood up, and saw that the circular tank went from the floor to the ceiling, and was about five feet in diameter. She was wearing the same clothes as the night she was taken, and her hair was tangled mess.

"Look who's up." A happy, yet tired-sounding voice said. Rumi turned, and saw Nya standing in a tank next to her.

"Nya?" She asked.

"Hi, Rumi." Nya said.

"Are you alright?" PIXAL's voice came from the tank behind Nya.

"About the same as you, I'd say." Hurumi said.

"Is it just me," Skylar said from the tank on Hurumi's other side, "or is it really cold in here?"

"Skylar!" Rumi exclaimed, turning to her. She looked horrible. Her skin was as white as a ghost, her eyes were bloodshot, and unfocused, and she was obviously struggling to stay awake.

"Where's Misako?" Nya asked.

"She's in the tank on my right." Skylar said.

"What are you all doing here?" Rumi asked.

"We were kidnapped, same as you." Nya said.

"Do you know who The Magician is?" Rumi asked.

"Yes." PIXAL said from her tank, "It's-"

"Quiet down over there!" A man's voice interrupted. Rumi turned, and saw Chen, Skylar's father, sitting on a couch near her tank.

"Chen?!" Rumi whispered, "I thought he was dead!"

"He is!" A man with pitch black skin and purple eyes said. Hurumi quickly realized that he was The Overlord. Standing next to him was The Magician, only, he wasn't wearing his cloak. His dark eyes and black hair looked very familiar. That's when Hurumi realized it was Cole. But why had _he_ kidnapped her?

"Alright, alright." A robotic voice said, "We're ready for the extraction." Rumi saw General Cryptor enter the room, flanked by General Kozu and Morro. But those villains were all dead, and had been for some time.

Rumi gasped as she realized where she and her friends were; The Departed Realm. When Cryptor saw Rumi looking at him, he smirked.

"Hello, Princess." Cryptor said, "Welcome to our graveyard." Sure enough, five tombstones sat on the floor, one in front of each tank.

General Kozu said something in his Stone Warrior language, and everyone looked at The Overlord.

"He wants to know if we should start the extraction." The Overlord said.

"Yes." Chen said, "I think we should." He walked over to a control panel on the far wall. Only then did Hurumi notice that the walls, floor, and ceiling were made of dirt. They were underground.

Chen pressed a button, and something whirred above Rumi's tank. Though, she couldn't tell what it was. Suddenly, she felt a pulling. Like the air was pulling on her heart. She looked down, and saw a flow of lime green light leaving her mouth. As it did, she felt as if her life force was leaving her. Maybe it was.

Hurumi looked over, and saw that a flow of maroon red was leaving Nya. PIXAL's was purple, Skylar's was orange, and Misako's was silver. Suddenly, Hurumi realized that their life forces _were_ being drained. Once hers was gone, she felt cold, and lifeless. Though, that was probably because she _was_ lifeless, now. Her name appeared on the tombstone in front of her.

Hurumi watched as a small, lime green crystal materialized in Morro's hand. Cryptor was holding a purple one, Chen's was orange, The Overlord's was maroon, and Kozu held a silver one. She realized they must want to use the crystals to return to living world, and there was nothing she or her friends could do about it. Not from their tanks.

Kozu said something in his stone warrior language, and the Overlord glared at him.

"Kozu, you may be evil, but that's no excuse to use words like that." He said, pointing his finger at the stone general. Kozu made eye contact with Hurumi and winked.

:::::::

"Where's PIXAL?" Zane said as soon as he was back online.

"Um…She's not here." Lloyd said slowly.

"That did not answer my question. Where is she?" Zane asked, more firm this time.

"Um, you see, that's the funny thing…" Jay said, "She was kind of taken by The Magician when we were using her as bait."

"Kind of?" Zane asked, anger in his tone.

"Yeah…" Jay answered.

"Do we know who The Magician is, or where he is located?" Zane inquired, sounding calmer now.

"Um…No." Kai told him.

"Has anyone else been taken?" Zane asked.

"Misako was kidnapped this morning." Lloyd said, "Other than that, no one else we know of."

"Good." Zane said, "Do you have any idea why Hurumi, Nya, Skylar, PIXAL, and Misako were taken?"

"No." Lloyd said, "Not yet."

Suddenly, there was screaming coming from outside the Bounty. The ninja ran onto the deck, and saw five villains walking towards them in the distance.

"The Overlord, Morro, Cryptor, Chen, and Kozu." Kai explained, "They're back from the dead."

"Nya, Hurumi, PIXAL, Skylar, and Misako are taken, and then these guys return from the dead." Lloyd said, "Do you think there's a connection?"

"I am almost certain there is a connection." Zane said, "And I believe we are about to find out what it is."

 **A/n: There you go. Sorry to leave it on a cliffhanger. See you Thursday!**


	6. Chapter 6: Revenge

**A/n: Sorry this chapter is so late today, but my swim team had a late meeting. Anyways, here's the next chapter and thanks for your reviews! Also, sorry, but I'm really bad at writing fight scenes.**

"Should we fight?" Kai asked.

"Wait. Morro is with them. I thought he turned good just before he died." Lloyd said, confused.

"Maybe they're forcing him to help them?" Jay suggested.

"It's possible. But, I think we should fight. If we win, we can question them about PIXAL and the others." Zane said.

"Then let's do it." Kai said.

They stepped off of the Bounty and, within minutes, they were battling the newly resurrected villains. Kai was fighting Chen, Lloyd and Morro were fighting, Zane and Cryptor faught, and Jay was doing his best to fight both Kozu and The Overlord.

"Kai, how have you been?" Chen laughed.

"I've been better." Kai answered.

"Well, I can fix that." Chen said, punching him to the floor.

"So, what's with the necklace?" Lloyd asked, slamming Morro into the Bounty's side. Morro glanced down at the lime green crystal that hung from a chain around his neck. The others had similar ones, but different colors.

"You'll be angry if I tell you." He said.

"Try me." Lloyd ordered.

"It's your girlfriend, Hurumi's life force." Morro said simply.

"What?" Lloyd asked, stopping.

"When The Magician, Cole, kidnapped her and the others, we took their life forces so we could come back to the living realm." Morro said.

"Wait, Cole's The Magician?" Lloyd asked, "That makes so much sense. He and The Magician were never in the same place at once, and he's been acting strange lately."

"Cole's The Magician?!" Kai shouted, "Oh, when we get done here, I am going to-"

"No!" Morro interrupted, "I had to possess him. It's not his fault." Morro said.

"You can possess a ghost?" Lloyd asked.

"Yes, in a way. It's kind of like hacking his brain. He won't remember doing it. Because he's a ghost, I used the connection he had to the Departed Realm to manipulate him. Anytime he killed someone, I had him leave them on a boulder. It was meant to be a hint for you, because he's the master of earth." Morro told him, "But, listen. Don't hurt me too bad, because Hurumi will get caught in the cross-fire."

"What do you mean?" Lloyd asked.

"What you do to me, you do to your girlfriend." The Overlord snarled at Jay.

"Then, that means…" Lloyd started, then he saw Zane pull out a sword and move towards Cryptor. "Zane, don't!" He shouted. But it was too late. Zane had already stabbed Cryptor in the stomach. However, instead of showing that he was in pain, he started cackling.

"Where. Is. PIXAL?!" He screamed in Cryptor's face.

"Whoa. Zane's going dark." Kai said unhelpfully.

"Zane, you just stabbed her!" Lloyd yelled.

"What?" Zane asked, "Lloyd, this Cryptor. Not PIXAL. Do you need me to check your eyes?"

"No, look at his purple necklace!" Lloyd yelled, "It's her life force! If you hurt Cryptor, you hurt PIXAL, too!"

Zane looked at Cryptor, and pulled out his sword. Sure enough, there wasn't as much as a scratch on him. Zane had just stabbed the love of his life, via Cryptor.

"Oh, no." He said.

"We can't fight!" Lloyd yelled, "We have to retreat!"

:::::::

Nya became painfully aware that The Overlord was fighting someone as soon as she felt something hard hit her head. Though, there was nothing in her tank. That's how she realized she was linked to him.

"Well, that's just great." Nya said, "Whatever happens to them will happen to us."

"Then, they had better not do anything stupid." Skylar said from behind Hurumi's tank.

"But, they're probably going to fight the ninja. And our friends don't know they're hurting us!" Hurumi said.

"They can be pretty ruthless while fighting." Skylar agreed.

"I know." Nya answered, "Let's just hope they figure it out soon. I don't know how many more bangs to the head I can take."

"At least you're doing better than Skylar." Hurumi said, "She's in the worst shape out of all of us."

It was true. Kai may not have hurt Skylar very bad, but her health was dropping nonetheless. She could barely walk, not that she needed to in her tiny tank, and whenever she ate, she threw it back up. That made for a lot of tank cleanings.

Suddenly, PIXAL gasped, and winced in pain. Nya looked over at her. She was now sitting on the floor and looking terrible, with the wires in her stomach showing and sparks flying everywhere. Her artificial blood, which actually looked very real, spilled out into the tank. Nya realized what must have happened.

"Did Zane stab you?" She asked.

"Yes." PIXAL winced, "But, I will be fine."

"Not if I can't repair you soon." Nya said, "It's a miracle you're still functioning right now."

"I take it back." Hurumi said, looking at the large hole in her robotic friend's stomach, "PIXAL is in the worst shape."

Suddenly, the fighting seemed to stop. At least, Nya no longer felt as if someone was throwing her across the room.

"We must get out of here as soon as possible." Misako, who was sporting a black eye, said.

"But how will we do that?" Skylar asked.

"PIXAL?" Misako asked, "do you think you can hack into the tank control systems?"

"It is…Possible." PIXAL said. She closed her eyes, and they could hear electronic beeping coming from her tank. "Yes." PIXAL said as there was a click of a lock, and tanks rose from the floor, freeing them.

"Great job, PIX!" Nya said, racing over to bandage her friend's wound. She took out her ninja mask, and ripped it so it would make something similar to a bandage. She wrapped the fabric around PIXAL's stomach, and tied it. "There." She said, "That should work until we find something better."

"Great." Misako said, "Now, how do we get out of here before they come back?"

"The only exit I saw was over there." Hurumi said, pointing to the door where the villains had left.

"Okay. Let's go." Nya said, helping PIXAL to her feet. Misako did the same with Skylar, and Hurumi led them to the door.

PIXAL had a lot of trouble walking, and was clearly trying to act like she wasn't in any pain. Nya took note of that, and followed Hurumi. However, as soon as she opened the door, Cryptor was standing there.

"Well, hello, there." He smirked, "I was just coming up here to check that none of you were badly injured." Cryptor looked at PIXAL, who glared. "Sorry about that, by the way." He said.

"I'm guessing we have to go back in our tanks now?" Skylar asked.

"Actually, you'll be getting your own quarters." Cryptor told her.

"Quarters?" Hurumi said.

"Yes. After all, you'll a need a place to prepare for the Gala." Cryptor said.

"The Gala?" Nya scoffed.

"The Day of the Departed Gala." Cryptor said, "It's the biggest event in the realm. Which means, we need some 'special' guests. And who better than the ninja' half-alive girlfriends?"

PIXAL looked annoyed. Nya guessed she would've rolled her eyes, if not for the pain of her wound.

"Your appearances will be very important." Cryptor said, "So, I suggest you prepare. Because it's tonight."

 **A/n: So, they're going to the Gala, huh? How will that turn out? Have a great rest of your week and I'll see you Monday!**


	7. Chapter 7: The Day of the Departed Gala

**A/n: Hello and happy Monday! Ready for a new chapter?**

"Do you think we lost them?" Jay asked after they'd been running through the city for fifteen minutes.

"Yeah." Lloyd answered, "I think so."

"I saw them slip through a portal after we started running." Kai said, "Where do you think they went?"

"The Departed Realm." Lloyd said, "That's where they have Rumi and the others."

"You think Cole is down there, too?" Jay inquired.

"I think it's a safe bet." Lloyd told him.

"So, how do we get there?" Jay asked.

"Look in front of you." Zane replied. Jay did as he was told. Sure enough, Mistake's tea shop was standing right in front of them.

"Do you think she has any Traveler's Tea?" Kai inquired.

"I sure hope so." Lloyd told him.

They opened the door and walked into the shop.

"Mistake?" Lloyd called. He had expected her to respond with a loud "never heard of her!" but she didn't. In fact, there was no response at all.

"Mistake?" Kai said. Again, no response.

"Where do you think she is?" Jay asked.

"I don't know." Kai said. He walked over to the shelves at the back of the room, and searched through the teas until he found what he was looking for.

"Tomorrow's Tea." He said, holding it up.

"Great." Lloyd answered, "Let's go."

"What?!" Jay yelled, startling his friends, "We aren't stealing that!"

"Sure, we are." Kai said.

"But, we're ninja! Not thieves." Jay told him.

"I know, I know." Lloyd said, "But Mistake isn't here right now."

Jay however, still didn't seem happy with the idea.

"We'll pay her the next time we see her." Kai added.

"Fine." Jay said.

Lloyd dropped a leaf onto the floor, creating a portal, and they all stepped through.

:::::::

"You have to admit, this room if pretty nice." Nya said when they reached their quarters.

"For a room with dirt walls, you mean." Skylar told her.

"Right." Nya said.

Cryptor had taken them down the hall to their room, which had no windows and only one small door. Four guards were posted outside their door, keeping them from leaving unless they wanted to. They had just been upgraded to a different prison.

Still, it was nice. There were five King-sized beds, hand-embroidered tapestries hanging from each wall, and piece of diamond and gold engraved into the ceiling to look like stars. There were also five vanities, and the girls sat at each one.

After bringing them up to their room, Cryptor had sent up the dresses they would be wearing to the gala. Skylar's was a bright orange sleeveless gown that came down to floor. She wore a dark red sparkling belt around her waist, and red flowers had been painted around the bottom. Though Skylar was still angry that her father had kidnapped her, she liked the outfit.

PIXAL wore a similar gown, except her was purple, had one strap on the right shoulder, and had silver flowers on the bottom. Instead of a belt, however, a white bandage was wrapped tightly around her waist to keep her from losing anymore artificial blood. Nya would fix her later, but right now, the bandage would have to do. Nya's dress was maroon red, had long sleeves, and a sparkly blue belt. Blue flowers were painted on hers.

Hurumi's dress was the same as Nya's, only lime green with a sparkly black belt and flowers. Misako's dress was shimmery silver with a green belt and green flowers.

Skylar's hair was down, and an orange flower had been pinned on the left side. PIXAL's hair was in a high bun, and she wore a purple flower. Nya's hair was also in a high bun, with a maroon red flower. Hurumi's hair was down, and she had a lime green flower. Misako was wearing her usual braid, and a silver flower.

"Are you ready?" Skylar said to no one in particular.

"Truthfully, no." Nya answered.

"Neither am I." Skylar said.

A few minutes later, some of Cryptor's nindroids came to lead them to the giant ballroom. Skylar couldn't help but feel like a little girl playing dress-up.

The doors to the ballroom were seven feet tall, and ten feet wide. Cryptor, The Overlord, Chen, Morro, and Kozu were standing outside them, wearing identical black tuxedos and, of course, their crystal necklaces.

"PIXAL," Cryptor said, taking her hand, "You look beautiful, even with that bandage." He smirked. PIXAL shot him a look that said she was not amused, but he ignored it. Even in their situation, Skylar thought it was funny that those two fought like siblings.

"Shall we enter?" Morro asked, taking Hurumi's hand. She nodded, refusing to make eye contact. They entered the ballroom, and everyone stopped dancing. As if the King had just entered his kingdom. Skylar didn't recognize a single guest. They were all dead, after all. As soon as he saw Cryptor, an elderly ghost floated over and bowed to him. He didn't look happy, but he did it anyway.

"Dr. Julien." Cryptor nodded. The man stood, but he wasn't looking at the nindroids general anymore. His gaze had drifted to PIXAL.

"And who might you be?" Dr. Julien asked, his eyes brightening. PIXAL opened her mouth to say something, but Cryptor spoke first.

"This is my sister, PIXAL. She represents intelligence." He explained.

"Ah, and android. Nice to meet you, PIXAL." Dr. Julien said, "I had an android son, once."

"Did you?" PIXAL inquired, now interested.

"Yes. He would've liked you, I can tell." Dr. Julien told her. PIXAL smiled; she didn't know who this man was, but she was happy to talk with someone other than Cryptor. They continued their conversation. Nya drifted over to Skylar, wanting to say something.

"That's Zane's father." She whispered.

"What? It is?" Skylar asked, watching the old man smile and laugh as he spoke with PIXAL. "Well, it looks like he approves of his son's girlfriend."

"Yeah. Do you think he knows Cryptor is plotting against Zane?" Nya asked. Skylar saw Dr. Julien glance at Cryptor with a look of hatred and distaste.

"Yeah," She said, "I think he knows." A little while later, Dr. Julien left, saying he had a few things to take care of in his workshop. That's when Cryptor wanted to dance. The music restarted, and he dragged PIXAL onto the dance floor. Chen did the same, saying he wanted some "father-daughter time."

"You know, that was Dr. Julien." Cryptor told PIXAL as they waltzed across the floor.

"Uh-huh." She said, not paying attention.

"And, Dr. Julien is Zane's father." Cryptor continued, "So, you just met your boyfriend's father without either of you knowing it." PIXAL's eyes widened.

"That was Zane's father?!" She asked, looking like she was about to punch him "Why didn't you tell me?!" Cryptor smirked. Then, there was a partner switch. Skylar made sure she and PIXAL became dance partners next.

"I have an idea." Skylar said, "To put an end to this night."

"Really?" PIXAL asked, looking hopeful.

"Yes." Skylar said, "And it works every time." There was another partner switch, and Skylar was back with her father. As they were waltzing, she suddenly stopped. Chen almost crashed into her, but caught himself.

"What is it, Skylar?" He asked. Skylar gave him her best dazed look, and pretended to be too dizzy to speak. "Are you alright?" Chen asked. She shook her head, and collapsed to the floor. "Skylar!" Chen yelled.

Skylar looked over at PIXAL, who gave her a grateful look when the music stopped. She let the doctor drag her out of the ballroom, pretending to be asleep. _Passing out._ She thought, smiling to herself, _works every time._

After the doctor confirmed that she was fine, Skylar was left alone in the hallway for a few minutes while he went to tell Chen.

"I'm telling you, I am on the list!" A familiar voice yelled.

"Ma'am, you weren't invited. I'm sorry." A guard said.

"Well, we'll see about that!" The woman screamed. She stomped away, and soon appeared in front of Skylar. Now Skylar knew who she was.

"Mistake?" She asked, "What are you doing here? Were you invited?"

"Skylar, I was hoping to see you." Mistake said, "No, I wasn't invited, but I should have been. Anyways, listen, I don't have much time."

"Okay." Skylar said.

"I know what these villains did to you and your friends." She said, "And if you want to go back to the living world, you must break their crystals. Otherwise, you'll be trapped here forever."

"But, they're always wearing them!" Skylar exclaimed, "How are we supposed to do that?"

"I don't know." Mistake said, "That's your problem. Bye." She started walking away.

"Seriously?" Skylar shouted, "That's it?"

"Yes." Mistake answered, "I have other places to be. Good luck!"

With that, she walked down the hallway in the opposite direction she had come. She hadn't been very helpful, but at least now Skylar knew how to escape the Departed Realm.


	8. Chapter 8: Why is the Sky so Dirty?

**A/n: Okay, here's the next chapter! There will be twelve chapters in this story, so it's almost finished.**

"Whoa." Jay said as he and the others entered the Departed Realm, "Why is the sky so dirty?"

"We're technically underground, Jay." Kai reminded him, "Of course there's dirt."

Jay was right, though. Their portal had let out into a small pond, which they were currently sitting in. The grass around the pond was normal enough, but the sky wasn't. Instead of the beautiful blue they were used to, it was brown, the color of dirt. There were no clouds, and the only thing resembling a Sun was a giant glowing red ball in the distance.

"Where do you think Chen is?" Kai asked.

"Probably somewhere in that scary looking castle." Lloyd answered, pointing.

Kai followed his finger, seeing a large castle made of (what else?) dirt. There were no windows, and only two visible doors at the front. The walls, however, looked old, with red light spilling out of the cracks.

"I guess that's a safe bet." Kai said. He felt horrible. Skylar was probably in that castle right now, listening to her father's taunts. Kai knew she and her father had never gotten along, and he felt bad that she was now being forced to see Chen again. He wanted to save her as soon as possible, and get out of this awful realm.

"Well, then," Lloyd said, "Let's get going."

They started walking, trying to ignore all the ghosts floating around them. Kai wondered whether or not Skylar and the others were ghosts now, having had their life forces stolen. He also wondered how they would take the girls back to Ninjago, once they found them. Would he just have to date and, one day, marry a ghost? And what would happen if Chen decided to self-harm, because he couldn't feel it? Would Skylar just have to constantly live in fear of being randomly stabbed or strangled?

Kai shook those thoughts off. He didn't have the answers to any of his questions, but he decided they would figure it out later.

"So, how are we even going to get into the palace?" Jay suddenly asked, breaking the silence, "Knock on the door and say please?"

"I don't know." Lloyd admitted, "I had hoped there would be windows or, even better, a skylight, but that's clearly not going to happen."

"Perhaps there is a back door?" Zane suggested.

"I doubt that." Kai said.

"Maybe we could pretend to be guards?" Jay said.

"We don't look ghostly enough." Lloyd told him.

Suddenly, Kai heard a loud crunch beneath his foot. He looked down, and saw a piece of paper. Brushing the dirt off of it, he picked it up and read it aloud.

"'You are hereby invited to the annual Day of the Departed Gala at the palace on 25 April from 20:00 to 00:00. All guests invited. The leaders of the Departed Realm (The Overlord, General Cryptor, General Kozu, Morro, and Chen) will be making an important announcement. WARNING: Living prisoners will be attending.'" He read.

"Living prisoners?" Zane asked, "Do they mean our friends?"

"I think so." Lloyd stated.

"Guys," Kai said, "I think I just came up with a plan."

"Well, duh." Jay replied.

"I think we all did." Lloyd answered.

"Shut up." Kai told them, "You're ruining the drama of the moment."

:::::::

After Skylar talked to Mistake, the doctor returned. She decided to pull the same thing again, and pretended to pass out. Once again, everyone bought it. After all, with her little cold, she looked about ten times sicker than she felt. PIXAL, however, saw this as an opportunity to leave the gala.

She and Nya "helped" Skylar to their quarters, claiming that they were more equipped for health care than the doctor, and closed the door.

"Thank you." PIXAL sighed when they were alone.

"Yeah, thanks." Nya agreed, "I didn't know how much more of The Overlord's ranting I could take."

"Don't mention it." Skylar said, "When in doubt, either pretend to cry, or pass out. It works every time. Trust me, I've used them both on several occasions, and no one ever knows what to do."

Nya laughed, but PIXAL just frowned.

"What's wrong, PIX?" Nya asked.

"It is just…" PIXAL said, "Did you see the guests? They were ghosts."

"I know." Nya replied, "I was wondering why we aren't ghosts, too. Maybe because we're not fully dead?"

"Speaking of the other guests, I saw Mistake." Skylar stated.

"Really?" Nya asked, "What did she say?"

Before Skylar could answer, Misako and Hurumi burst into the room.

"Our friends are here!" Hurumi said.

"The ninja?" PIXAL asked, suddenly hopeful.

"No." Hurumi said, squashing her hopes, "Everyone else."

"What do you mean?" Nya inquired.

"Cyrus Borg, Mistake, who was apparently taken recently, Ronin, the snakes, the elemental masters, Cole's father, Jay's parents, Ray and Maya, the commissioner, the mailman, Hutchins, and the royal family." Misako explained.

"Wow." Skylar said, "That's practically everyone we know."

"Exactly." Hurumi replied, "Cryptor said they're going to use our allies' life forces to build an army that can enter the living world. Kind of like they did with ours."

"Now we really have to get our lives back." Nya said worriedly.

"And do you know how to do that?" Misako inquired.

"Actually, yes. Skylar ran into Mistake outside the Gala, and she explained it." PIXAL stated.

Skylar then proceeded to tell them everything that had happened that night. How she had seen the old woman outside the Gala when she "passed out," how she'd said they would remain trapped here until they got their life forces, and how they had to smash the crystals in order to be free.

"Great." Hurumi said, "So, all we have to do is come up with a plan to smash the necklaces."

"Yes, though, it will not be easy." PIXAL said.

"What if we did it while they're asleep?" Skylar suggested.

"But, Cryptor doesn't sleep. And what about the guards and security cameras?" Nya asked.

"PIXAL could hack the cameras." Skylar answered, "And one of us could distract the guards."

"Okay." Hurumi said, "Say this does work, how will we know which room, or rooms, they're in?"

"I could find it in the control room." PIXAL stated.

"Great." Misako said, "That covers Morro, Chen, Kozu, and the Overlord. But what about Cryptor? He doesn't sleep."

"Well, since he clearly loves PIXAL-" Nya started.

"Like a sister." PIXAL interrupted.

"Right." Nya said, "Since he clearly loves PIXAL like a sister, she could distract him, and I'll take the necklace right from his neck. It's risky, but it could work."

"Okay." Misako said, "But what about Cole? We can't just leave him."

"PIXAL can pull up the blueprints, find the dungeon, and you can look for him." Skylar said.

"Alright." Misako said.

"This could work." Hurumi said excitedly.

"Yes, but we must act soon." PIXAL said. The plan was decent, but it made her nervous. She didn't know if she could pull it off. After all, there would be a lot of pressure on her doing her job correctly. However, her friends seemed confident, and that made her feel slightly better.

"By this time tomorrow," Nya said happily, "We could be free, and back in Ninjago!"


	9. Chapter 9:When in Doubt, Cry or Pass Out

**A/n: Hello, everyone, I hope you've had a great day! Even though it was a Monday...**

"Great. Now, where are Nya and the others?" Jay asked after he and his friends had sneaked into the Gala. They'd gone in their dirty hoodies and ripped pants, because they didn't have time to get anything nicer. The guards didn't seem to notice, though, or they just didn't care. They were now standing in a giant ballroom that, for a palace made of dirt, actually looked very nice.

Lights were strung everywhere, there were tiles on the floor, and streamers hung from a pole in the center of the ceiling to the outer walls. Ghostly guests were dancing, and everyone seemed happy. However, there was no sign of their friends anywhere.

"Excuse me," Zane said, tapping an elderly ghost on the shoulder, "Do you know where Cryptor, or his personal guest went?"

"Oh, you just missed them." The ghost man said, turning to him, "Miss Skylar fainted, so-" He stopped when he saw Zane. "Zane!" He shouted, hugging the nindroid, "you're silver!"

"Father?" Zane asked, hugging Dr. Julien.

"Yes, what are you doing here?" Dr. Julien asked.

"We're trying to rescue our friends." Kai told him.

"Oh, I see." Dr. Julien said, "By the way, Zane, I met a very nice android girl you might like."

"I already have a girlfriend, father." Zane told him.

"You do?" Dr. Julien asked, surprised.

"Yes." Zane replied, "PIXAL and the rest of our friends have been taken."

"PIXAL's your girlfriend?!" Dr. Julien inquired.

"Yes, have you met her?" Zane asked.

"Yes! I met her earlier tonight. And I must say, I approve of your choice, Son." Dr. Julien said.

"Thank you father." Zane said, "But where is she?"

"Miss Skylar fainted, so PIXAL and Nya accompanied her to her quarters. Princess Hurumi, the leaders, and Misako left shortly after the announcement was given. Though, if you must speak with a leader, I believe Morro is still here somewhere." Dr. Julien told him.

"No, thank you." Zane said, "But what was the announcement?"

"I don't know, I wasn't here." Dr. Julien replied, "But, I believe it has to do with using your friends and allies to defeat you."

"Then we had better find their quarters and get out of here." Lloyd said.

Kai looked across the ballroom, and spotted Morro shaking hands with some of the guests.

"Maybe Morro knows where they are?" He suggested.

"Good idea." Zane said, and turned to Julien, "Thank you, father." Dr. Julien nodded, and drifted into the crowd.

"Wait." Lloyd said, "Before we rush over there, we should stop and think, first."

"Too late." Kai said, "Zane's already over there."

"Are you kidding me?" Lloyd groaned, "What's wrong with him? He's usually the rational one."

"He misses PIXAL." Jay said simply.

"Yeah, well, I miss Rumi." Lloyd said, "But you don't see me making stupid decisions because of it, do you?" Lloyd could tell Kai had something he was going to say, but thought better of it, and closed his mouth. The green ninja trudged across the dance floor, pushing guests out of his way. Jay and Kai followed.

"Zane, Lloyd, Jay, Kai." Morro said when he saw them, "What are you doing here?" He didn't look surprised, though, just worried.

"We're rescuing our friends." Jay told him, "Do you know where they are?"

"I think they're in their quarters." Morro answered.

"Yeah, we know _that._ " Kai said, "Do you know where their quarters are?"

"I'm sorry, but I don't." Morro said, "I only joined The Overlord and his pawns so I could keep an eye on them. I think they know that, and they don't fully trust me, so they don't tell me everything." At this, Jay, Kai, Lloyd, and Zane slumped their shoulders. "But," Morro said, "I do know they aren't on this floor."

"Okay." Lloyd said, "How many floors are there?"

"Seven." Morro replied.

"Great." Lloyd said, "We can do that. We'll split up into pairs, and search every floor. Zane, you're with me. Kai, you're with Jay. Let's go."

:::::::

"Ready?" Hurumi asked. Her friends all nodded. They were about to execute the plan that would allow them to escape. PIXAL was the first to do her part, and left the room as quietly as she could. By now, the Gala had ended, and the halls were empty. She walked over to the palace's control room, which was just down the hall from their room.

There were two guards posted at the doors, which she hadn't planned for. This was stupid, she thought, of course there would be guards. Still.

How was she supposed to get in? She could ask nicely, but that probably wouldn't work. Suddenly, one of the guards spoke.

"What do you want?" He asked roughly. Panic overwhelmed PIXAL, but then she heard Skylar's words echoing in her head. _When in doubt, either pretend to cry, or pass out._ PIXAL decided to go with the first option, and burst into tears, clutching her still bandaged stomach.

"It's…" She whispered, "My stomach. I was stabbed yesterday, and the pain is overwhelming!" She collapsed to the ground, sobbing. The guards looked at each other, not knowing what to do.

"Can we help you in any way?" The second one asked, looking genuinely worried.

"In the control room, I need a Neural Drive. It's like an android pain killer." PIXAL said. Of course, this was completely wrong. A Neural Drive was a hard drive in her head that held her personality. It wouldn't help her with the pain. But, the guards seemed to buy it. They let her in, and closed the door behind her. As soon as PIXAL was in the control room, she turned off the security cameras.

"Cameras down." She whispered into her communicator. Next, she pulled up the castle blueprints. "Misako, you need to take the elevator to the first floor, and turn right. There will be a door on your left. Open it and it should lead you to the dungeon." She said.

"Noted." Misako answered.

"Hurumi, Skylar, got to the fifth floor, turn left, and there will be a door on your left." PIXAL said.

"Got it." Skylar replied.

"Nya, go to the third sixth floor and wait for me to arrive." PIXAL ordered, "I will alert you if I see any guards headed you way."

::::::

Everyone did as they were told. As soon as Skylar and Hurumi stepped out of the elevator, they saw Chen and his comrades' room. There were three guards posted right outside, and they looked intimidating. Hurumi took a deep breath, and marched over to them.

She flashed her prettiest smile, but was met with no reaction. The plan was for her to distract the guards with her beauty, or in any way possible.

"Well, hello there." She said sweetly. The guards didn't respond. Instead, they turned their heads to Skylar, who dropped down to the floor.

"Where is that contact lense?" She muttered, pretending to search for it. The guards looked back at Hurumi.

"So…"She said, "How about that whether, huh? I mean, there isn't any!" The guards did not look amused. "Do you have a girlfriend?" Hurumi asked the first guard. No response. This was taking too long. Behind the guards, Skylar mimicked fainting, and pointed to Hurumi. "Oh" the princess mouthed.

She started blinking rapidly, pretended to be dizzy, and grabbed the wall for support. Next, she fell flat on her back. It hurt, but it distracted the guards long enough for Skylar to slip into the room. Apparently, crying and fainting were becoming their go-to distractions, because they were so reliable.

Inside the room, Skylar saw four beds. She heard the familiar sound of her father's snoring, and tip-toed over to his bed. He was out, cold. She unlatched the necklace, and carefully took it away. Walking over to the next bed, Skylar saw Kozu lying there.

She easily unlatched his necklace, and then went to Morro's bed. He was lying there, looking peaceful. She took his necklace, and then proceeded to The Overlord's bed.

She took his necklace, and started walking back to the door. Suddenly, she stepped in just the wrong place. She heard the creak of a floorboard. _They just HAD to have wooden floors, didn't they?_ Skylar thought angrily. Someone stirred behind her, and then the room went silent. Skylar opened the door, and slipped out. Hurumi was still on the floor, upon hearing Skylar, she opened her eyes and sat up.

"I'm fine." She said simply. She stood, surprising the guards, and walked with Skylar to the elevator.

"Smash them, already." She said as soon as the doors closed. Skylar took the necklaces out, and threw them to the floor. When they didn't smash, she stepped on them. The crystals crushed beneath her foot. And then, nothing happened.

"Well?" Hurumi asked.

"It didn't work." Skylar said, picking up a shard. It was plastic. "They're fake!" She realized it at the same time as Hurumi.

"Then that means…" The Princess trailed off.

"The others are walking straight into a trap!" Skylar yelled.


	10. Chapter 10: The Trap is Set

**A/n: Hey, sorry this chapter is coming out so late! I had a math tutoring session. Sometimes I feel like I were to just sit in a room alone with a textbook, I would learn the concepts easier than if my teachers teach me. Anyway, here's the newest chapter.**

Misako was walking down a long hallway. It was dark, but she could make out the figures of people in cages. She couldn't tell who they were, but she had a feeling they were her friends. Suddenly, she heard a shout from somewhere in front of her. Reaching her hand out, Misako felt a cold, metal door handle. Smiling, she turned it, and it instantly swung open.

Light spilled into the dark hallway, and Misako stepped inside.

"Misako!" A familiar voice exclaimed. Misako turned, and saw Cole, arms chained to the far wall. Because he was a ghost, Misako knew he'd been chained with Vengestone. He looked exhausted, but happy to see her. "You're okay." He sighed with relief, "Where are we? What's going on?"

"Skylar and Hurumi are taking the crystals from The Overlord, Chen, Morro, and Kozu. PIXAL and Nya are on their way to collect Cryptor's crystal." Misako said, "It's a long story, but I'm getting you out of here."

"What? No!" Cole said, moving closer to the wall.

"Why not?" Misako asked.

"Because, apparently I'm The Magician." Cole answered, "A murderer!"

"Yes, I got that." Misako told him, "But we have a plan to get everyone out."

"Even Dareth? He's been more annoying than Jay. Can't we just leave him here?" Cole complained.

"No. We're going to save everyone." Misako replied.

"But Morro possessed me." Cole whispered, suddenly serious, "He possessed me, every time I killed someone, or kidnapped you or…Anything. And I didn't even know it."

"It's okay." Misako said, "You couldn't have. I've already forgiven you, and I'm sure the girls will, too. As for your fellow ninja…You may want to sleep with one eye open."

:::::::

Meanwhile, Nya was waiting on the sixth floor for PIXAL to arrive. She'd been waiting for about thirty minutes now, and was getting worried. At first, PIXAL had alerted her every time a guard was coming close. That way, she could hide. Now, PIXAL had stopped responding altogether. Nya had had to duck into the nearest place, which happened to be a broom closet.

"Where do you think they are?" Nya jumped when she heard a muffled voice outside the door.

"I don't know, but we've already searched the second and fourth floors. They have to be here." Another voice said. Were they talking about her and her friends? Were the guards looking for them?

"Maybe they're in here?" One voice suggested.

"A broom closet?" The second asked.

"I don't know. Maybe." The first voice said. Suddenly, the door's handle turned, and Nya held her breath. The door opened, and she got the surprise of her life.

"Lloyd?" She asked, dumbfounded, "Zane? What are you guys doing here?"

"Nya!" Lloyd exclaimed, hugging her, "We're looking for you."

"Oh." Nya said, "Where are the others?"

"Jay and Kai are looking on all of the odd floors, trying to find PIXAL, Skylar, Hurumi, and Misako." Lloyd told her.

"Do you know where they are?" Zane asked, obviously anxious.

"Yeah, Skylar and Hurumi are on the fifth floor, Misako is in the first floor's dungeon, and PIXAL is-" Nya started. Suddenly, she was interrupted by her communicator's beeping. "Sorry." She said, answering it, "What is it?"

"A trap!" Skylar shouted, "It's a trap! Forget the crystals! They're fake. Misako found Cole, and we're headed to the entrance. Meet us there, and we'll think of a new plan later."

"Okay." Skylar said, hanging up. Lloyd and Zane were looking at her like she had three heads. Nya guessed they'd probably heard her entire conversation.

"We have to go." She said.

"Where is PIXAL?" Zane asked.

"Funny story," Nya said nervously, "I don't actually know."

:::::::

PIXAL stepped out of the control room.

"Is your stomach better?" One of the guards asked.

"Much. Thank you." She answered, then turned, and walked over to the elevator. She pressed the "down" button, and waited for the doors to open. She needed to get to the sixth floor before Nya ran into any guards. The doors opened, and she stepped inside.

Two men were already in the elevator, wearing dirty hoodies and ripped pants. Their hoods were pulled over their heads, and neither one looked at her.

"Which floor do you need?" One mumbled.

"Six." PIXAL answered, pressing the button. The doors closed, and the tension grew.

"We're going to five." A familiar, cocky voice answered.

"Kai?" PIXAL asked. The man in the red hoodie took off his hood, revealing Kai's face. He smiled, and Jay took off his hood.

"Yep." Kai said, giving her a hug, "Glad we found you, Pix. Zane will be happy."

"Yeah." Jay agreed.

"What are you doing here?" PIXAL inquired. Though, as soon as she asked, she knew it was a stupid question.

"What are _you_ doing here?" Jay shot back.

"I was kidnapped and taken to the Departed Realm by a possessed criminal." PIXAL said.

"Uh, right. That's a pretty good reason, I guess." Jay said, "We're here to find you and the others." Suddenly, PIXAL's communicator rang, indicating that someone was trying to contact her.

"Hello?" She said.

"It's a trap! Forget the crystals! They're fake. Misako found Cole, Nya found Lloyd and Zane, and we're headed to the entrance. Meet us there, and we'll think of a new plan later." Skylar shouted.

"Alright." PIXAL said, and then turned to Jay and Kai, "Are you ready to see Nya and Skylar?"

:::::::

Hurumi and Skylar were waiting near the doors to the palace. There were no guards, though, which seemed strange to Skylar. A few minutes later, Cole, who looked dazed, and Misako joined them.

"Rumi!" Lloyd's voice came out of nowhere, and he suddenly bear-hugged the Princess.

"Lloyd!" She exclaimed, returning the hug. When she pulled away, she saw that Nya and Zane were with him. Lloyd went to hug his mom, but Hurumi's focus remained on Zane.

He looked worried. He wouldn't meet her eyes, and he kept looking back and forth. Hurumi figured he was trying to spot PIXAL.

"She's not here, yet." Rumi said. She could tell Zane knew full-well who "she" was.

Suddenly, an elevator dinged, and everyone turned their heads to see Kai, Jay, and PIXAL step out.

"Kai!" Skylar yelled, running over to him.

"Jay!' Nya yelled, running right past her brother and hugging her boyfriend.

"What am I, chopped liver?" Kai asked sarcastically. Nya came over and hugged her brother.

"I'm glad you're alright, PIXAL." Nya said, but PIXAL was already in Zane's arms. And he didn't look like he was planning to let her go anytime soon.

"I was so worried about you!" He said, releasing his grip a little and turning to look at the others.

"Ugh, Cole." He, Kai, Jay, and Lloyd said in unison.

"Sorry! Sheesh!" Cole pouted, "Man, you guys can hold a grudge. You kidnap their girlfriends _one time_."

"It was yesterday." Lloyd told him, "And we're in the Departed Realm because of it."

"Whatever." Cole said.

"Yeah, but, technically we're all still in danger." Kai said, "We should probably leave before a guard comes and sees us."

"You're right." Nya said, walking over and opening the doors. But, to her surprise, Cryptor, Chen, Kozu, The Overlord, and Morro were all standing there, waiting for them.

"Hello, ninja...And friends." Chen said.

"We've been waiting for you." The Overlord added.

"Oh, come on!" Jay yelled.

"You've got to be kidding me!" Kai shouted angrily, "We were so close!"

PIXAL, Nya, Misako, Rumi, and Skylar, however, stood their ground. They had known this would happen, and it was part of their plan. Granted, they hadn't known the villains' crystals would be fake, but this was part of their new plan. They would smash the crystals, and they would escape the Departed Realm with their friends and allies.


	11. Chapter 11: The Microchip

**A/n: Wow, only one more chapter after this one! We'll reach a conclusion soon, I promise.**

Kai ran toward Chen, and threw a punch. However, Chen dodged it, cackling.

"You seem to have forgotten that what you do to me happens to Skylar." He said, pulling out a knife and making a large cut in his arm. Skylar gasped, clutching the newly formed cut on her arm.

"We can't fight them!" Zane said.

Suddenly, Chen whistled, and an army of nindroids wearing crystal necklaces appeared behind them.

"Can we fight _them_?" Jay asked.

"No." Misako said, "They are connected to our allies. You'll hurt them."

"Got it." Kai said, "Fight without fighting."

The ninja ran forward, and began to use The Art of the Silent Fist. The nindroids attacked from all sides, overwhelming them.

"Do you remember what to do?" Hurumi asked the other girls. They nodded, and ran back into the palace. After making sure no one had seen them, she followed.

"Foolish ninja!" The Overlord taunted, "You cannot beat me!"

"Us." Chen corrected.

"Us." The Overlord sighed, "Quit ruining all of my lines!"

"They're right!" Jay exclaimed, "We can't do this forever. We'll get tired eventually."

"I know." Lloyd admitted, "But I don't what else to do."

"Keep fighting!" Kai shouted.

"Where did everybody go?" Cole asked.

Jay looked around, seeing what he meant. Misako, Skylar, PIXAL, Nya, and Hurumi had all disappeared. Hough, he didn't know when.

"I don't know." Lloyd admitted.

"Perhaps they have a plan." Zane said.

"They did seem to know what they were doing." Kai said.

:::::::

"Ready?" Skylar asked.

Her friends nodded. They were currently climbing the stairs to the roof of the palace. They'd planned for this, but Skylar was still nervous.

"PIXAL, do you have the chip?" She asked.

"Yes." PIXAL said, holding up the microchip she'd taken from the Samurai X Cave just before she was kidnapped by The Magician. "I thought it might come in helpful." She explained.

"And it will work? On crystal, I mean?" Skylar inquired.

"I had to make a few adjustments, but yes. I should work." PIXAL explained, "However, I just finished, and have not been able to test it yet."

"Well, I'd say now is as good a time as any." Skylar told her.

When they reached the roof, Skylar was horrified. There wasn't any blood, but the five ninja were trying to take on the nindroids army by themselves. And, they weren't fighting.

Skylar knew why, of course. If they did, they could end up hurting their friends. Still, if they got hurt in the process, wouldn't it all be for nothing?

"Let's do it." Hurumi said, nodding at PIXAL.

The female android took out her microchip, pressed a secret button somewhere on the side, and set it on the floor. There was a mechanical whirr as the chip started to stretch, making itself larger. When it was finished, it looked like a giant magnet. Which is exactly what it was. PIXAL pressed another button, turning it on.

However, what was different about this magnet was that PIXAL had designed to attract crystal. And not just any crystal, the specific kind Cryptor and the villains kept their life forces in.

Within seconds, hundreds of crystals had been pulled off the necks of the soldiers and were sitting on the magnet. Chen cackled.

"Well, isn't that smart?" He smirked.

"And what do you plan on doing with those?" The Overlord asked smugly.

"We're going to smash them, and free ourselves from this realm." Nya said.

"Very nice." Cryptor cackled, "Of course, there's just one flaw in that plan of yours. One that should not be overlooked."

"Oh, yeah?" Skylar asked.

"And what's that?" Nya inquired.

"If you smash those crystals, you'll die." The Overlord explained.

"Well," Jay said from the ground, "That probably would have been nice to know _before_."

"Does it look like we knew _before_?" Skylar shot back. Jay didn't answer.

"What should we do?" Misako asked, "If we smash the crystals, we'll die."

"But, if we do not, everyone down there will die." PIXAL added.

They all turned to Skylar.

"I say we do it." She said, "It's our lives versus hundreds of others. There's no choice to be made in the first place."

"You're right." Nya agreed, "We'll do it for Ninjago."

They turned, and walked back to the edge. PIXAL gave Zane an apologetic look, and he instantly knew what they were about to do.

"No." He said, "They're going to smash the crystals."

"No." Kai said, but it was too late.

Skylar, PIXAL, Nya, Hurumi, and Misako had each taken a necklace, and were holding them above their heads.

"For Ninjago!" they shouted in unison, and then threw the crystals to the ground.

"No, no, no!" The Overlord screamed.

"They're smashing the crystals!" Chen shouted.

"To be fair, you _did_ tell them how to free themselves." Morro said.

"The price was death!" Cryptor shot back, "I didn't think they'd actually do it!"

"Then that's your fault for not planning ahead." Morro said.

"Don't you sass me, mister!" Cryptor told him. Morro just rolled his eyes.

Skylar could feel a burning sensation in her throat. The world started to spin, for real, this time, and she was proud to die alongside her best friends. Then, the world went black.


	12. Chapter 12: Life or Death?

**A/n: The last chapter is here! I'm both happy and sad at the same time.**

When Kai opened his eyes, he saw a bright yellow orb in the clear blue sky above him. He blinked a few times before realizing he was staring right at the Sun.

"Ah!" He yelped, sitting up and rubbing his eyes.

"That was my reaction at first, too." A voice said. Kai turned, and saw Cole smiling back at him. Cole was still a ghost, but it was good to see him nonetheless.

"Cole!" Kai said, jumping up and hugging him.

"Hello, Kai." Cole answered.

"Where's everyone else?" Kai inquired.

"Zane is over there, treating anyone that was hurt during the fight." Cole said, gesturing to a large white tent where Zane was bandaging their allies. "Jay and Lloyd are at the store, buying blankets. They've been there for two hours, now. Who knows when they'll be back?" Cole said.

"Should we go look for them?" Kai asked.

"No." Cole told him, "They probably just got lost. Remember, they've only been to the store a couple of times. They may not know where to look."

"Okay." Kai answered.

"And, as for Rumi, Skylar, Nya, Misako, and PIXAL…" Cole trailed off.

"I know." Kai sighed. He remembered his friends' ultimate sacrifice. Thinking of Skylar, his girlfriend, Nya, his sister, Hurumi, who'd been nice to him, Misako, who'd become a mother figure to him, and even PIXAL, who was a much a younger sister to him as Nya. He should've protected them. He should have protected his _family._

"I think we should go help Zane." Cole suggested.

"Yeah, let's go." Kai agreed.

They walked over to Zane, who looked exhausted and devastated, and before Kai realized what he was doing, he hugged the nindroid. Zane didn't flinch, though, but instead, returned the hug. They both started sobbing, but no one stopped them. The last few days had been hard, and this was their time to mourn.

:::::::

"I don't get it." Nya said, pacing back and forth in her cell, which was only four feet wide and three feet long. It was even smaller then her tank had been. She and her friends had been thrown in cells shortly after the ninja and their allies escaped the Departed Realm.

"What is there not to get?" Skylar asked from the cell next to her, "We're dead. We died for Ninjago, and for our friends. That's it."

"What I believe Nya is trying to say is; why have we not become ghosts?" PIXAL said from the cell across from Nya.

"I don't know." Hurumi admitted, pacing around the cell next to PIXAL.

"I know." A familiar voice said. Suddenly, Morro appeared in front of Nya's cell. She gasped, startled. Skylar barely held in a scream, while PIXAL and Hurumi merely looked surprised.

"Dude!" Skylar shouted, "You have got to stop doing that!"

"You could really scare someone." Misako agreed.

"Sorry." Morro apologized, "But, I know why you aren't ghosts."

"Oh course you do." Nya sighed.

"Well, let's hear it." Hurumi told Morro.

"Because you aren't dead." Morro explained, "Cryptor was lying. Smashing the crystals didn't kill you."

"Are you kidding me?!" Skylar yelled, "We stayed in this realm for nothing?!"

"Yes." Morro said, earning a combined groan from the girls, "But, I can send you back to Ninjago."

"Great." Nya said, "Let's go, already."

"Okay. But first, take this." Morro said, handing her a green box.

"What am I supposed to do with this?" Nya asked.

"When you get to Ninjago, use it to turn Cole human again. He's definitely earned it." Morro replied.

"Okay." Nya said.

Morro took out a leaf of Traveler's Tea that Nya assumed was left over from when Cole was The Magician. Next, he took out five keys, and let the girls out of their cells. He dropped the leaf on the floor, and a portal opened. Nya moved to step inside, but stopped.

"Morro?" She said, "Thank you."

Then, without warning, she, Skylar, Rumi, PIXAL, and Misako gave him a big hug. Morro blushed as red as Kai's gi. He was still blushing as they stepped through the portal, returning to Ninjago.

:::::::

"That took way too long." Lloyd said.

"Well, I'm sorry if Nya's normally the one that does all of the shopping." Jay shot back, "And it's not like you were any help, either."

"Whatever." Lloyd said, "Let's just back to the others so we can give them these blankets." Jay nodded, and kept walking. They'd spent two hours in the store, trying to find a few blankets. Now, they were walking back, trying not to think about the friends they'd just lost.

"Too bad Nya and-" Jay started.

"Don't say it." Lloyd interrupted, "Don't say her name."

"Sorry." Jay said.

Suddenly, a portal opened on the ground in front of them.

"Well, that's just great." Lloyd pouted, "What horror do you think is about to step out of that portal?"

"I don't know." Jay admitted, "But I'm too tired to deal with it right now."

The next thing they knew, Nya, Skylar, PIXAL, Misako, and Hurumi were stepping out, smiles on their faces.

"Jay!" Nya said.

"Lloyd!" Rumi exclaimed. Jay and Lloyd dropped their blankets.

"Is this a prank?" Jay asked, "Or an illusion?"

"No." Nya answered, "No, Jay, we're really here!" She ran over and kissed him, and Jay was convinced that she was real.

"You're not dead?" Lloyd asked, hugging Rumi.

"No." She told him.

"Skylar!" Kai's voice yelled.

"PIXAL!" Zane said. Within seconds, everyone was in tears, hugging and smiling.

"We were coming to look for Lloyd and Jay." Kai explained, "How are you here?"

"We'll explain later." Nya said, "Right now, we need to see Cole."

"Me?" Cole asked, "Why?" Nya handed him the box.

"This will make you human again." She told him, "Morro gave it to us before he helped us escape."

"Thank you." Cole said, "But, Day of the Departed is tonight. I think I'll be a ghost one more time. After all, it's the best costume I could ask for."

:::::::

That night, everyone attended Cyrus Borg's Day of the Departed party. The ninja went as ninja, PIXAL was Samurai X, Skylar was an orange ninja, Hurumi was a princess, Misako chose not wear a costume, and Cole, naturally, went as a ghost.

They had fun, and the next day, Cole returned himself to human. Everyone forgave him for being The Magician, but the girls still liked to tease him about it. Life went back to normal, but there would always be a new enemy to fight. Whether they were ready or not.

 **A/n: That's the end! What did you think of the story overall? Please leave a review!**


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